Rio Grande Botanic Garden-cutsheets

Rio Grande Botanic Garden – Water in the Garden
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Water is vital for all gardens, but
especially for a botanic garden in the desert.
Acknowledging this fundamental and delicate
relationship, Design Workshop’s design for the
Rio Grande Botanic Garden intertwined water
throughout the fabric of the garden. For
example, water is used in a traditional fountain
in the Spanish-Moorish Theme Garden. A large
pond features many of the aquatic plants suit-able
to the region. Water is an integral part of
the public art sculpture by Shel Neymark near
the entrance. And in another area, a gentle
stream flows through exhibits of native plants
from New Mexico’s ecological zones. ◆
DESIGNWORKSHOP
Spanish-Moorish Theme Garden
Pond with Aquatic Plants
Stream
Sculpture by Shel Neymark
DESIGNWORKSHOP
Rio Grande Botanic Garden
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Located on the edge of an
environmentally-sensitive riverside cot-tonwood
forest, the Rio Grande Botanic
Garden is New Mexico’s first major
botanic garden.
Design Workshop’s master plan for the
facility weaves the cultural history of
New Mexico landscapes together with
the area’s broad palette of plant materi-als.
The plan includes ethnobotanical
exhibits with examples of historical
agricultural techniques drawn from the
region, including Anasazi grid gardens,
Zuni walled gardens and a Spanish-
Moorish garden. Also featured are
Sonoran and Chihuahuan desert exhibits
and an interpretive display of plant
communities sorted by elevation, from
the peaks of the Sangre de Cristo
Mountains to the Rio Grande Valley.
Client:
City of Albuquerque
Services Provided:
Landscape Architecture
Master Planning
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View of Conservatory from Water
Entry to Botanic Garden
View of Conservatory from Community Demonstration Gardens

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Rio Grande Botanic Garden – Water in the Garden
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Water is vital for all gardens, but
especially for a botanic garden in the desert.
Acknowledging this fundamental and delicate
relationship, Design Workshop’s design for the
Rio Grande Botanic Garden intertwined water
throughout the fabric of the garden. For
example, water is used in a traditional fountain
in the Spanish-Moorish Theme Garden. A large
pond features many of the aquatic plants suit-able
to the region. Water is an integral part of
the public art sculpture by Shel Neymark near
the entrance. And in another area, a gentle
stream flows through exhibits of native plants
from New Mexico’s ecological zones. ◆
DESIGNWORKSHOP
Spanish-Moorish Theme Garden
Pond with Aquatic Plants
Stream
Sculpture by Shel Neymark
DESIGNWORKSHOP
Rio Grande Botanic Garden
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Located on the edge of an
environmentally-sensitive riverside cot-tonwood
forest, the Rio Grande Botanic
Garden is New Mexico’s first major
botanic garden.
Design Workshop’s master plan for the
facility weaves the cultural history of
New Mexico landscapes together with
the area’s broad palette of plant materi-als.
The plan includes ethnobotanical
exhibits with examples of historical
agricultural techniques drawn from the
region, including Anasazi grid gardens,
Zuni walled gardens and a Spanish-
Moorish garden. Also featured are
Sonoran and Chihuahuan desert exhibits
and an interpretive display of plant
communities sorted by elevation, from
the peaks of the Sangre de Cristo
Mountains to the Rio Grande Valley.
Client:
City of Albuquerque
Services Provided:
Landscape Architecture
Master Planning
1
1
2
3
2
3
View of Conservatory from Water
Entry to Botanic Garden
View of Conservatory from Community Demonstration Gardens